Dr. Diekman’s Lab
Brian Diekman, PhD
The primary research goal of Dr. Diekman’s lab is to understand the specific ways in which cartilage cells become dysfunctional during aging and how this affects the development of osteoarthritis. The lab is particularly interested in how cartilage is affected by cellular senescence, which is a specific type of cellular dysfunction that occurs with aging.
Dr. Diekman’s lab uses both primary human chondrocytes and animal models to explore ways to slow or prevent osteoarthritis.
The Diekman lab also employs regenerative medicine technologies such as stem cells, genome editing, and tissue engineering to establish model systems that can be harnessed for the development of novel therapies for osteoarthritis.
Lab Members:
Lab Manager and Research Specialist: Susan D’Costa, PhD.
Research Technician: Garrett Sessions, MS.
Graduate Student (Biomedical Engineering): Matthew Rich, MS.
Graduate Student (Biomedical Engineering): Michaela Copp
Undergraduate Student: Rohan Krishnan
Undergraduate Student: Jack Felkner
High School Student: Carson Shepler